Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of force transmissions; and more specifically, to force transmissions for use in surgical instruments intended for use in teleoperated minimally invasive surgeries.
Background
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) (e.g., endoscopy, laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, cystoscopy, and the like) allows a patient to be operated upon through small incisions by using elongated surgical instruments introduced to an internal surgical site. Generally, a cannula is inserted through the incision to provide an access port for the surgical instruments. The surgical site often comprises a body cavity, such as the patient's abdomen. The body cavity may optionally be distended using a clear fluid such as an insufflation gas. In traditional minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon manipulates the tissues by using hand-actuated end effectors of the elongated surgical instruments while viewing the surgical site on a video monitor. In teleoperated minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon manipulates the tissues by controlling mechanically actuated end effectors of the elongated surgical instruments with a computer mediated control console. Mechanical actuation may allow for improved control of the surgical instruments.
The mechanically actuated surgical instruments will generally have an end effector in the form of a surgical tool such as a forceps, a scissors, a clamp, a needle grasper, or the like at a distal end of an elongate tube. The surgical tool is generally coupled to the elongate tube by one or more articulated sections. The elongate tube is rotated to control the orientation of the surgical tool. An actuator that provides the actuating forces to rotate the elongate tube is coupled to the proximal end of the elongate tube. It may be desirable that the elongate tube be at an angle to the actuators at the proximal end of the elongate tube so that several surgical tools may converge at a surgical site despite the inability to have the proximal ends of the elongate tubes converge because of the bulk of the actuators.
In view of the above, it is desirable to provide an improved apparatus and method for transmitting actuating forces to rotate an elongate tube of a surgical instrument intended for use in teleoperated minimally invasive surgeries where the elongate tube is at an angle to the actuator.